Jurors chosen in child abuse trial

Opening statements, first of state’s witnesses expected to be heard today

January 30, 2013

MARTINSBURG - A jury was seated Tuesday in the trial of a Bunker Hill couple indicted nearly three years ago for allegedly abusing five children under their care.

Nathan A. Snyder, 29, of Nereid Lane, was indicted in February 2010 by a Berkeley County grand jury on 13 counts of child abuse causing bodily injury, while his wife, 43-year-old Christina A. Snyder, also of Nereid Lane, was indicted on five counts of child abuse causing bodily injury.

The defendants face charges based on allegations they burned multiple children under their care with cigarettes, choked and punched them, shot them with BB guns and bottle rockets and beat them, as well as other claims of physical abuse.

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Nathan Snyder

Christina Snyder

Jury selection had been scheduled to begin Monday, but was postponed until Tuesday due to inclement weather. The all-day process concluded with a jury of nine men, three women and three alternates being sworn in at 5:16 p.m. Tuesday by West Virginia 23rd Judicial Circuit Judge John Yoder.

"I want to thank everyone who was not selected for coming in for this process," Yoder said at the end of jury selection. "I want to assure you that this system is extremely important for our system of justice."

A total of 70 potential jurors were called in for jury selection Tuesday. The initial panel of 20 potential jurors was selected at 4:43 p.m.; and the final panel of 12 jurors was selected at 4:45 p.m. after attorneys in the case made their strikes. A panel of six potential alternates was whittled down to the final three alternates at 5:15 p.m., shortly before the full jury was sworn in. It was initially estimated that jury selection could have taken as long as two days in the case.

"We made pretty good progress today," Yoder told jurors.

The jury will return today to hear opening statements from the attorneys in the trial, as well as testimony from the first of the state's witnesses.

The alleged victims included a 5-year-old girl, an 8-year-old girl, a 12-year-old boy and two 14-year-old boys.

One alleged victim described living with the defendants as "a living hell" to investigators, according to court records.

Jurors will also hear testimony from another sibling, now an adult, who alleges she was sexually assaulted by Nathan Snyder when she was 13 while the family was living in Hampshire County.

The case was investigated by the Berkeley County Sheriff's Department.

The youngest victim, who was 5 at the time the defendants were arrested in 2009, told police that Nathan Snyder beat her with a metal spoon, a bat and belts, according to court records.

As part of the investigation, police also interviewed one of the 14-year-old alleged victims.

He told police that Christina Snyder burned him with cigarettes. He also said Nathan Snyder shot him and his siblings with a BB gun about three times a week while Christina Snyder laughed at them, records show.

The juvenile also alleged Nathan Snyder would shoot him with bottle rockets while Christina Snyder watched.

The victim also alleged that Nathan Snyder had thrown him to the ground and choked him until he almost passed out, records show.

The abuse detailed by the 14-year-old boy also included allegations that the couple forced him to massage their feet before they would give him anything to eat. He also told police the accused would keep food locked away, records show.

In yet another incident of alleged abuse, the boy told police that he had witnessed Nathan Snyder punch his 5-year-old stepsister, giving her a black eye.

Police reports also stated that the 14-year-old said the couple would threaten the children with knives and beat them with a riding crop. The couple also allegedly forced the 14-year-old to smoke and drink alcohol, as well as walk about a mile to a neighbor's house in the middle of the night to obtain more alcohol for them, records show.

The other alleged victims also spoke with police and corroborated the 14-year-old's statements, records show.